Forward Dillan Bentley Named to All-South Division Team
(Albuquerque, NM) Wednesday, May 4, 2022- The New Mexico Ice Wolves® today announced the team was named the North American Hockey League (NAHL) South Division Organization of the Year with Forward Dillan Bentley named to the All-South Division Team. The divisional teams and honors represent the four divisions in the NAHL: Central, East, Midwest and South, with the divisional teams voted upon and selected by the league’s 29 head coaches and the other division honors voted by the members of the league’s board of governors. The awards are based on performance during the 2021-22 regular season. This is the second time in team history the NM Ice Wolves were named the South Division Organization of the Year honor after being given the honor in the team’s inaugural season in 2019-2020.
“We congratulate all of the incredible players and organizations recognized across the league and in our division today. We want to especially congratulate Dillan Bentley for being named to the All-South Division Team. Nobody works harder than Dillan and he earned this award with his own personal commitment to his teammates and everyone associated with this organization,” said Stan Hubbard, owner of the NM Ice Wolves. “Being named South Division Organization of the Year is a great honor that truly reflects the dedication of our community, coaches, staff and players to growing and supporting this team and youth hockey and all ice sports in New Mexico.”
Bentley joined the NM Ice Wolves for a single game in the team’s inaugural 2019-2020 season. In Bentley’s first full season with the team in 2020-2021 he tallied 10 goals and 13 assists in 54 games. His 23 points were sixth among NM Ice Wolves players. In the 2021-2022 season Bentley was named a Team Captain and has played in 58 games racking up 64 points on 30 goals and 34 assists. Bentley has committed to the University of Massachusetts-Lowell (Hockey East, Division 1) and is among the six NM Ice Wolves players from the 2021-2022 season who are committed to playing NCAA D1 or D3 hockey next year.
The remainder of the NAHL 2021-22 season awards including the All-NAHL Team, All-Rookie Team, Most Valuable Player, Forward of the Year, Defenseman of the Year, Vaughn Goaltender of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year, General Manager of the Year, Executive of the Year, Organization of the Year, Broadcaster of the Year, and Volunteer of the Year, along with the Academic Achievement Award, Leadership Award and Community Service Award, will be all be announced later in the week.
The NAHL honors come on the heels of the team winning its first ever playoff series against the Wichita Falls Warriors in the South Division semi-finals. The team advances to its first ever South Division Finals against the Lone Star Brahmas with games 1 on and 2 to be played in North Richland Hills, Texas starting Friday, May 6 at 6:30pm MT. Games 3 and 4 (if needed) in the South Division Finals will be played at Outpost Ice Arenas in Albuquerque, NM with game 3 on Thursday, May 12 at 6:30pm MT and, if needed, game 4 on Friday, May 13 at 6:30pm. Tickets for game 3 and 4 can be purchased at tickets.nmicewolves.com. If game 4 is not needed, a credit for ticket buyers can be used for next season or can be exchanged for credit at Chilly’s Pro Shop at Outpost Ice Arenas. If a game 5 is needed the series will return to North Richland Hills, Texas on Sunday, May 15 at 1pm MT.
Single Game Playoff Ticket Pricing:
-First Row Reserved Bleacher Seating – $12.50
-Reserved Bleacher Seating – $15.00
-Reserved Premium Chairback Seating – $27.50
-Sandia Suite General Admission – Open seating in the Sandia Suite – $18.00
-Standing Room Only – $12.50*
-On-Ice Skating Ticket- $10.00**
(*Standing Room Only is for behind the seating or in the mezzanine with no Suite access, standing on ice or standing at ice level. **On-Ice tickets are for skating and watching the games on skates from the training rinks.)
Season ticket holders receive priority access to playoff tickets and priority renewal. For accessible and companion seating please contact tickets@nmicewolves.com. The team has two hospitality suites that are available with catering on a single or multi-game basis. Anyone interested in reserving a suite for a group or special event can contact tickets@nmicewolves.com for more information.
The four NAHL division playoff champions will play for the 2022 Robertson Cup National Championship at the Fogerty Arena in Blaine, Minnesota from May 20-24, 2022. This marks the fourth season that the NAHL’s Robertson Cup Championship will be held at Fogerty Arena. The Robertson Cup is awarded to the national playoff champion of the NAHL. The oldest junior hockey trophy in the United States, the Robertson Cup is named in honor of Chuck Robertson, a pioneer of junior hockey in the NAHL and youth hockey in the state of Michigan.
The NM Ice Wolves finished their 2021-2022 regular season with back-to-back wins adding to an already record total for the most wins in team history. During the 2021-2022 regular season the NM Ice Wolves faced the Lone Star Brahmas eight times winning five of those games against the South Division rival. All of the team’s games can be watched on HockeyTV.com and home playoff games are also on New Mexico Sports on local broadcast channel 20.5. Fans can select subscription options at www.hockeytv.com.
To learn more about the NM Ice Wolves please visit their NAHL Team Page or on social media on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram and the arena at www.outposticearena.com. For team media inquiries, please contact Aaron Martinez at 505-212-8762 or amartinez@reelz.com
About NAHL
The NAHL, the only USA Hockey-sanctioned Tier II Junior league boasting 29 teams, with the addition of El Paso, TX and Anchorage, AK in the 2021-22 season, from across the United States, prides itself on the social maturity and skill development of student-athletes ages 16-20 with aspirations of advancing to collegiate and/or professional hockey. During the 2019-20 season, the NAHL recorded an all-time single-season record of 361 NCAA commitments, with a record 249 (70%) of those being NCAA Division I commitments. Over the course of the past five years, 1,500+ NAHL players have made NCAA commitments and 30+ NAHL players have been selected in the NHL Draft. For more information, visit www.nahl.com.